Classic Programmes #9: Philadelphia Ukrainians Open Cup Glory

This week’s classic programme is from American soccer’s forgotten years, the pre-NASL early 1960s, and a reminder of some soccer glory in Philadelphia.

The American Soccer League was the only sanctioned professional league in the country at the time, and their championship was remarkably won by Colombo, a new team from Staten Island, New York who would disappear just as quickly after the season. In second place came the Ukrainian Nationals of Philadelphia, coached by Walter Medusha. He would win Coach of the Year as Philadelphia took the U.S. Open Cup title, defeating the Los Angeles Kickers 5-3 in the final at Edison Field in Philadelphia on May 29th after two overtime periods.

The Philadelphia Ukrainians would go on to win three more Open Cups in the 1960s and four straight ASL titles from 1961 t0 1964, before disbanding in 1970. Here’s the programme cover from the game that kickstarted their 1960s success, the 1960 Open Cup final.